Quote:
Originally Posted by kennymc
The flash/light meter in its normal state has the dome on, most beginners do not even know it can be removed or replaced with a spot metering dome...
IMHO you get a truer reading if the light meter is held at the place the main light falls on the subject, because this will record the lights power at the point it hits the subject... If you are pointing the meter at the camera from the subjects nose you not getting a true reading as the light is only hitting mainly the side part of the dome...
This however is personal taste, and we all work out which way is best for the way we work...
My signature on all the forums I frequent is as follows...
My opinions are exactly that, they may not be yours, they may not always be right, they definitely aren't the only way to do things, they are merely my opinions...
Take care,
KennyMc
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The other thing I've found that many people don't know about the meter, is that after one does get the dome off, and you are thus taking a reflective reading, that the reading may cover quite a wide angle (and not be all that useful). They then have to know to use a attachment to narrow the angle of the reading. I have 1 and 5 degree attachments that I find very helpful for reflective readings. I primarily use those for zone system type of calculations but they are very helpful when you have a wide tonal range and are trying to come up with the best exposure to capture the bulk of the range. I also find the Black/Gray/White calibration target and Camera histogram to be very helpful for this latter situation.
And yes, a lot of photography really boils down to personal taste. And that's as it should be since each artist must be faithful to their own vision.
Also, I've found there can be a wide variation in incident readings based on where one points the bulb and it may have little effect on some lighting arrangements and a vast effect on others. For example suppose we have a subject facing the camera and the light is off to the side such that it lights half the face and the side of the model but leaves the other side of the face and body in relative shadow. If we face the bulb at the light we will probably get an exposure we won't be happy with. On the other hand, if we point it at the camera we will probably find that the exposure is closer to what we want. But if the light is close to the camera position, it won't really make much difference whether the bulb is pointed at camera or light. But naturally, its all subjective.
Cheers,
rfs